Strange Currency

Monday - Saturday at 8pm

Strange Currency airs six nights a week on KMUW, bringing you new releases, old favorites and forgotten classics. We spotlight local and regional acts, including guests on Currency Exchange, our live in-the-studio program recorded at the KMUW studios.

Jedd Beaudoin invites you to listen 8 to 10pm Monday through Saturday as he opens up his personal music vault and lets you in.

For the third year in row, KMUW 89.1 FM and its music shows Global Village and Strange Currency are winners in the annual Public Radio Exchange (PRX) Zeitfunk Awards. KMUW was Number Two in the category of Most Licensed Station, edging out stations in New York, Chicago, and other major markets.

Saturday, May 16 - Released in 1984 The Big Express was Swindon, England’s XTC’s seventh studio album; we’ll hear selections from it on this episode of Strange Currency as well as several songs produced by the band’s Andy Partridge for the Britpop band Blur as well as music from Mike Keneally’s 2008 rarities collection Wine and Pickles.

The Magic Whip is the first studio album from British band Blur since 2003’s Think Tank and the first album from the band’s original four piece lineup since 1999. Listen for selections from it as well as from Different Class the 1995 album from Britpop band Pulp.

Monday, April 27: Released in 1968 Larry Coryell’s debut album Lady Coryell gave great indications of a career that was to span into the following century. With the then 25-year-old guitarist joined by drumming legends Bob Moses and Elvin Jones, the album is a classic example of Coryell’s imaginative playing and writing. Listen for selections from that recording as well as from the 1970 self-titled release by violinist Don “Sugarcane” Harris, featuring appearances from Johnny Otis and Shuggie Otis.

Thursday, April 16: Czech-born keyboardist Jan Hammer had his greatest commercial success in the 1980s after composing the theme to the popular television show Miami Vice but his recorded output as a solo artist in the 1970s featured several superlative albums including 1976’s Oh Yeah. Listen for selections from that album as well as from Teaser, the 1975 release by guitarist Tommy Bolin.

Thursday, April 9: Short Movie is the fifth album from singer-songwriter Laura Marling and is notable for Marling’s heavy incorporation of electric guitar on this release. We’ll hear selections from that as well as from Jenny Wood’s Thumbsucker release.

Formed in 1975 Brand X combined elements of progressive rock with jazz fusion across a series of under-appreciated albums. The group featured Phil Collins on drums playing in a manner that was distinctly different from his work in Genesis or on his solo recordings, demonstrating that he was one of the best percussionists of his generation. We’ll hear from the debut Brand X recording, Unorthodox Behaviour as well as from Billy Cobham’s 1974 release Crosswinds.

Released in 1985 Bad Moon Rising was the second full-length album from Sonic Youth. Despite the band having formed in New York City, the music on this album is focused heavily on Southern California—especially the dark underbelly of Los Angeles in the late 1960s as the counterculture’s dark side came to light. We’ll hear selections from this release as well as from Strange Angels, the 1989 release from performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson. The record was remarkable for Anderson’s new attention to her voice and more traditional song structures and its wide range of guest artists, including jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin.

Perfect Abandon is the latest release from singer-songwriter Tom Brosseau. Born in North Dakota and raised in the church, Brosseau’s music is informed by desolation, spirituality, and the eeriness that visits wide open spaces. Perfect Abandon was recorded using one microphone and produced by sometime PJ Harvey collaborator John Parish. We’ll hear selections from that album on this episode of the show as well as selections from Yeah Okay, I Know, the latest release from singer-songwriter Christian Lee Hutson.

The Firewatcher’s Daughter is the latest release from acclaimed singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. It is her follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2012 album Bear Creek. We’ll hear selections from that as well as music from Whatever My Love, the latest from the Juliana Hatfield Three. Hatfield is perhaps best remembered for her work with 90s acts such as The Lemonheads, Blake Babies and others. This latest release captures the spirit of Hatfield’s earlier recordings while bringing her and her band firmly into this decade.